Yellkey makes it easy to share a long URL with fewer characters for a short time. Copy the long URL into the address bar and choose a time - from 5 minutes to 24 hours and click "generate yellkey." Share this new address with others to quickly share any web address.

In the Classroom

Use yellkey whenever long links to sites need sharing. Share in emails or other correspondence keeping in mind that the shortened URL is only available for the specified period. This shorter address is much easier for students to type into their own computers/BYODs, use it to create web addresses that are easy for students to use during class sessions.

This safe and straightforward site creates unique passwords within your given parameters. Choose the length of your desired password and use the checked boxes to include or exclude letters, characters, or numbers. Additional options allow you to select the number of numeric characters or symbols to add. After making your selections, click "Generate" to create your password. Additional information on the site explains why it is important to use strong passwords along with specific content on how a strong password looks.

In the Classroom

Share this site with students as part of any online safety unit. Discuss the importance of creating strong passwords. One disadvantage of using a site like this is trying to save and remember the unique passwords. Use information on this site to find free, online tools for saving and managing your passwords. As students learn more about online safety, ask them to share their tips using a video response tool like FlipGrid, reviewed here. Use Flipgrid to provide video questions to students with scenarios that might occur online due to lack of knowledge or application of safety techniques. Have students respond with solutions to these problems. Ask students to share their advice with other students using a video explanation tool like Rawshorts, reviewed here, to create short, animated video explanations.

Create games for groups or multiple players personalized with your content using Blended Play. Choose from five game options with titles like Mountain Climber and Sushi Take Over. Add questions to your game selection and save. Choose options within games to select the number of players, length of the game, and more. Visit the Game Library to view and download question files shared by fellow members of Blended Play. Watch the tutorial video shared on Blended Play for complete instructions on creating and using games from the site. The tutorial also comes in PDF format. If your district blocks YouTube, the tutorial video may not be viewable. You could always view the video at home and bring it to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as Freemake Video Converter, reviewed here, to download the video from YouTube.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Before creating games, take advantage of shared files in the Game Library to quickly make games accessible for students. Once you are familiar with the site, create games for any topic to use for review or as a schema activator. Have groups of students create their own review games for personal use and to share with fellow students. As students gain confidence in creating their own games, share other game-creation sites like Scratch, reviewed here, as an excellent way to promote creativity and personalize any learning experience.

WriteWell is a set of clear and easy to use writing tools designed to help with the writing process while making the process fun and engaging for users. Start by searching for templates for any particular type of writing or select from content links on the home page. Each writing template includes a complete example, description of how to write in this format, the option to download the template, and a link to begin work in the online app. Creating an account isn't required to use the tools in WriteWell; however, it does offer many options for saving and sharing your work.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

WriteWell is a must-have for all teachers. Use this site for your own professional use in graduate work. Share a link on your class website for student use at home. Share the steps and information within any template as a guide for teaching different writing styles. Have students enhance a previous project by using tools within WriteWell, then have them compare and discuss the differences. If the students wrote the document in Google or Word, have students highlight and add comments sharing changes to their text. Include before and after documents in an online student portfolio like bulb, reviewed here. Bulb allows you to embed videos; ask students to upload a short video discussion of their revisions to any document. As a culminating activity, have students create a video tutorial of different styles of writing using a video creation tool like My Simpleshow, reviewed here.

Design a free logo with DesignEvo, no download or registration required! Find icons from the millions in the site's library, then add and customize text and shapes to create your logo. Change colors, add backgrounds, and much more. When finished, download to your computer. One caveat, before downloading you must give credit by sharing DesignEvo on your social media account or using the embed code on your website.

In the Classroom

Use this site as part of any graphic design or art class to learn about the use of color, text, or design. Have students design a logo for your classroom or school, then use a different logo each month on your class website, newsletter, or any classroom communications. Have students design a logo for a book character to use on their "pretend" business card. Ask students to create their own personal logo for use on a business card. The possibilities are never-ending!

Easily convert Microsoft applications to PDF with the installation of CutePDF onto your computer. Follow the directions and system requirements to install. Once installed, select print for any Microsoft document that allows printing, then select to save as a PDF.

In the Classroom

Download CutePDF onto your computer to save Microsoft documents to PDF. Saving as a PDF offers flexibility when sharing documents with others. Save student work as a PDF to share with parents. Use Flipsnack, reviewed here, to turn their PDFs into an online book; there is even a page-turning effect! This is a helpful utility for students entering contests or completing applications offered only in PDF form.

Think of Memo Notepad as the online version of your spiral notebook. Just click on the pencil to type your notes onto the lined paper. Write as many pages you like without even creating an account. To share any page, choose the email icon and send. Create an account to save your pages and access your notes on any device. Download the iPad or iPhone app for easy use on an iOS device. An Android app is in the works at the time of this review.

In the Classroom

Use Memo Notepad as a handy way to create lists and reminders and access on any device. Share this site with older students to use when working on collaborative projects to share notes and ideas. Share with students who struggle with penmanship to use as an alternative to traditional notebooks for notetaking. Create a class account and have students use it for notetaking. When finished, all students will have access to the entire class's notes.

Scholastic offers this simple to use flash card maker. Choose math or words to begin creating your flash cards then enter information for both sides of the card. When complete, display cards online or send to your printer for a physical copy. Be sure also to check out the articles shared with tips for using flash cards as memory boosters, to study a world language, and more.

In the Classroom

Create flash cards as a quick review of any topic. Instead of using index cards, have students create their own flashcards for online review. Be sure to share a link on your class webpage for use at home. Take learning beyond rote memorization and have students use terms from their flashcards or discuss their math problems in a blog post. Use a tool like Telegra.ph, reviewed here. There is no registration with Telegra.ph, and you will get a unique URL for sharing the blog post. With Telegra.ph you just click on an icon to upload images from your computer, add a YouTube or Vimeo, or Twitter links. Create a collaborative class book for students to view anywhere using Book Creator, reviewed here. Book Creator allows users to include images, videos, and more to create multimedia interactive books.

Kami is a web application offering the ability to view and edit documents online including PDF files. Create an account to begin using the site and open a PDF or supported document. Use the toolbar to draw, highlight, or add notes to your document. Changes automatically save to your Google Drive.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use Kami on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector to share and highlight information on documents during lessons. Ask students to use this site to highlight information. For example, in short stories have students highlight foreshadowing events, character clues, or descriptive phrases. Have students create an annotated image using Thinglink, reviewed here

Typely is a free online proofreading tool. In comparison to other grammar checkers, this tool focuses on usage errors instead of grammatical errors. Typely provides feedback on common mistakes including redundancy, sexism, and misspellings among others. Copy and paste your text into the editor to view results. Use settings to change the appearance of your text and use of Typely. When finished, save your document to your computer or create a Typely account to save online.

In the Classroom

Bookmark Typely for use with any writing projects to allow students to concentrate on content instead of grammar. Be sure to share a link on your class webpage and classroom computers for students to use with written work. Ask students to analyze their writing by sharing a before and after analysis as a one-time blog post using Telegra.ph, reviewed here, or as part of their digital portfolio using bulb, reviewed here as a digital portfolio tool.

Biteable claims to be "the world's simplest video maker," and they may be right. Choose from many animated features, color combinations, and photo scenes to personalize videos. The wide assortment of templates include options to create ads, infographics, and more. Drag and drop images, add text and choose colors and sound onto the video timeline. When complete, publish and share on YouTube or social media sites with the provided links. Free accounts offer 1GB of storage and five video projects per month.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Add Biteable to your technology toolbox for use with multimedia reports and presentations. Learn how to create and personalize videos together by sharing the site on your interactive whiteboard or projector and demonstrating the available features. As students become familiar with Biteable, ask them to use this site to create videos explaining and showing specific features available on the website. Be sure to have students create a storyboard to help make the video creation go smoothly. Do this either with paper and pencil or try using a digital storyboard like the Amazon Storybuilder, reviewed here, or Storyboard That, reviewed here. Use this site to create introductory videos for any classroom content. Replace the paper version of a travel brochure, ask students to use the travel templates on this site to make a video sharing information about any location. Instead of having students write a report on healthy living use the healthy living infographic template to share interesting facts and information about nutrition and wellness. In your finance class use the electronics templates and ask students to create a video advertising a product or a new store. This site is incredibly versatile and offers options for use in any classroom setting!

Create animated videos and emojis with Plotagon. Use Plotagon apps for computers or mobile devices to write, record, and share your story. Follow the directions to download the app to begin. Follow the prompts to choose backgrounds, sounds, and add text. When complete, publish your video to YouTube, Facebook or Twitter, share using the URL, or save to an mp4 file on your computer or on your Plotagon account.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use Plotagon to create animated videos for use as an interesting introduction to new content. Allow students to create their own animated videos bringing characters from a novel they are reading to life with voice recordings of their script. Bring creative writing projects to life or retell historic events through animation. Be sure to have students create a storyboard to help make the video creation go smoothly. Do this either with paper and pencil or try using a digital storyboard like the Amazon Storybuilder, reviewed here, or Storyboard Generator, reviewed here. Have students include their Plotagon as part of a larger multimedia project using Sway, reviewed here. Sway provides tools for creating interactive presentations including images, videos, and more.

Kanbanchi is a G Suite tool for managing and organizing projects. Additional features allow you to communicate between boards and monitor progress on shared boards. Take advantage of the site's handy templates and "how-to" guides to learn about the features and use of this tool. Templates provide a starting point for creating newsletters, lesson plans, and classroom work. Customize any template with your information including images, checklists, due dates, and choice of students to complete each assignment.

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the many planning and personalization features provided by Kanbanchi for use with group projects or lesson planning. Begin slowly by using one of the provided templates, then personalizing content for your own use. Once you become familiar with using this tool, use it to organize any large projects. Create lessons with peers, plan and manage student group projects, or create an interactive newsletter. Have older students use Kanbanchi as a storyboard for writing projects or to plan and monitor large projects.

ReClipped allows you to annotate, collect, and share portions of online videos using their online site or a Chrome browser extension. Additional features enable adding notes and markers to specific areas of videos. Create your account and download the extension following the site's directions. Collect segments of videos into "Snippets" to save onto boards to share publicly or save as private. Add collaborators to create shared boards.

In the Classroom

Use ReClipped to make sharing portions of videos easier by including only the segments needed. Add notes or questions for students to follow. Create a classroom board to share with students highlighting important information for any topic. Ask students to create their own snippets to share information or back up their point of view. Have tech-savvy students create their own videos and make snippets demonstrating how to use different features of ReClipped. After viewing longer videos, ask students to create snippets of what they consider to be the most critical portions and use the annotation feature to explain their choice.

Quizlet's Diagram Maker is a feature of Quizlet, reviewed here. Create diagrams using annotation tools, map locations, images, and definitions. Explore the featured diagrams for an overview of the many different ways to create and share diagrams. An account is not required to use the diagrams on this site; however, creating an account allows you to save diagrams and create your own.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Try out some of the diagrams on the site before attempting to create one. Share a link to any diagram on your class website for student review and practice. When ready to make your own diagram start out simple and follow the easy directions to create and share a learning diagram. Once you become confident, invite students to create their own diagrams to use as a review tool or in place of a final report. Have student experts create a video how-to guide for making diagrams using My Simpleshow, reviewed here. My SimpleShow includes tools for creating and sharing animated video explanations.

Fake Text Message is a tool to create images that appear to be screenshots of text messages. Use the editing tools to include a name, a series of messages, show time, battery life, and more. When finished editing, choose the link to create your image then share it using social media links or download to your computer.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use Fake Text Message to bring lessons to students through their digital world. Ask students to create made-up text messages between book characters or world leaders during a crisis. In math, have students create a conversation discussing methods for solving a difficult problem. Take advantage of the editing tools such as battery life and signal strength indicator to demonstrate urgency in different situations. Have students include images of text messages created into a Google document as part of a written report. Take your text messages to a different level and have students create podcasts incorporating text messages using a tool like Podcast Generator, reviewed here.

You may already be familiar with Google Maps, reviewed here, but Google My Maps takes working with maps a step further. Use Google My Maps to create custom maps with features you add. Add points or shapes to any location, use the embedded search to find places then save to your map, import information from spreadsheets, and customize your map with colored icons and your uploaded images and videos. Collaborate on your project just like you would with Google Documents, then embed maps into your website or blog.

In the Classroom

Share Google My Maps on an interactive whiteboard or projector to create virtual trips for many situations. Create a trip to biomes around the world, visit places mentioned within books, map out battlefield locations for different wars, or find and save different kinds of landforms on your map. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination. Embed completed maps onto your class webpage or blog for students to view when reviewing for tests or quizzes. Have older students complete their own Google My Map project to create their own virtual field trips. This site is perfect to use in conjunction with TeachersFirst Reading Treks to follow the adventures of characters in the featured stories. Not ready to create your own maps? Use the explore feature on the site to find many examples of maps made by others.

Add a real-time map of your website or blog's visitors with this geo-location hitmap. Download then customize the widget with your preference of colors, size, and stats available for viewing. Follow the steps to create your customized code then place on your site.

In the Classroom

Students will love seeing the wide variety of visitors to their classroom website. Have a student share locations of viewers with other students, then research to learn more about those areas around the world. Challenge students to create an interactive map with images and videos using a tool such as Stepmap, reviewed here, for where the visitors to their blog live. With Stepmap students can colorize specific areas including national parks, or the city and neighborhoods of their visitors to their blog; additional options include latitude and longitude lines, and icons. Ask students to create an annotated image of any location including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here. Display a world map in your classroom and pin locations of viewers on the map for students to see at all times.

ProProfs Brain Games allows you to play or create puzzles and games. Choose from created games in formats including hangman, crosswords, word scrambles, tic tac toe, and more. Create a free account to make your own puzzles using the game choices provided. Creating puzzle options includes options for levels of difficulty and personalization of images and vocabulary.

In the Classroom

Share puzzles and brain teasers with students on your class website or classroom computers. Brainstorm with students on problem-solving methods and tips. Use a tool like Padlet, reviewed here, to share your list of ideas. Have students use Brain Games to create their own games to review classroom material before tests and quizzes. Take student learning a step further and include their game in a Symbaloo Learning Path, reviewed here. This site allows users to add tiles including quizzes, websites, videos, and more to follow as a learning path for any subject.

Microsoft Visual Studio offers a variety of free tools and services to build and develop apps on any platform. Download Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio Community, and sign up for a free account on Visual Studio Team Services providing tools and information for integration across platforms. Sign up also for training sessions and additional downloads.

In the Classroom

Share Microsoft Visual with students interested in computer coding. Have students sign up for training that meets their interests. Encourage students to design apps that help fellow students and others in your school. For example, design an app for tracking assignments or an app for collaborating on school projects.